Bennett had hopes Jones, who joined the team last January from Fishburne Military School, would be able to fill the point guard void while senior Jontel Evans and sophomore Malcolm Brogdon recover from offseason foot surgery.

Neither Evans nor Brogdon is expected to be ready to play early in the season. That means either freshman Taylor Barnette or junior small forward Joe Harris (or a combination) will open the season running the Cavs’ offense.

Once everyone is healthy and available, Evans and Brogdon are expected to start together in the backcourt with Harris moving back to the wing. In the meantime, Bennett told ESPN this week only that it would be “very interesting” to see how the first part of the season unfolds.

The Cavaliers -- picked to finish sixth in the ACC by Sporting News -- don’t face a major challenge until playing at No. 17 Wisconsin on Nov. 28.